This invention relates to a printing apparatus, a method of controlling the same, an information processor connected thereto, a method of controlling the information processor, and a related storage medium.
Printers of the kind that discharge liquid ink include those that allow a cartridge of one type (an ink tank or a unit that is a combination of an ink tank and printing head) to be exchanged for another, after which printing is performed in conformity with the particular type of ink cartridge. Examples of such ink cartridges are monochromatic ink cartridges, color ink cartridges and, in some cases, low-density inkcartridges. (Low-density ink cartridges are suitable for forming grayscale images by performing a plurality of printing cycles.)
A variety of printing processing types (printing modes) are available. For example, there are printing modes in which printing is completed by a single pass or by a plurality of passes, and in which printing is performed by moving a carriage in one direction or back and forth in two directions.
Thus, the printing processing that is executed depends not only upon the type of ink cartridge but also upon the combination of cartridge type and printing mode.
According to the prior art, a printer capable of performing printing in a number of printing modes has a memory in which a program for each type of printing processing is stored in advance, and printing is executed by switching among the programs in appropriate fashion. However, a problem with such a printer is higher cost because of the need for a large-capacity memory to store the programs.
Further, since the programs are stored permanently in a ROM or the like, printing processing suited to a new type of ink cartridge cannot be executed.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a readily expandable printing apparatus capable of being applied to a number of types of printing processing despite having only a small memory capacity, an information processor connected to this apparatus, a method of controlling the information processor and a related printing medium.
According to the present invention, the foregoing object is attained by providing a printing apparatus for printing an image using prescribed printing means based upon print data that has been transferred from a host, comprising storage means for storing, in a prescribed memory, a processing program that has been transferred from the host, and control means for causing the print data to be processed in accordance with a processing program, which has been stored by the storage means, if the print data has been transferred from the host.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the figures thereof.